Flambeau Outdoors™ Launch First Decoys That Match the Ultraviolet Reflection of Feathers Introduces Decoys with UVision™ Paint

Flambeau, Inc. and Twilight Labs (Fargo, North Dakota) have announced a licensing agreement to launch the only decoys in the world painted to replicate the way birds see color. Flambeau has secured an exclusive license to utilize the patent pending UVision™ coating technology on its leading brand of waterfowl decoys. Developed by the coatings scientists at Twilight Labs, UVision™ is the only decoy paint system that matches the reflectance of real feathers in the full range of light visible to birds, including ultra-violet (UV). "With this technology, Flambeau can make the science-backed claim that its decoys are the only decoys with colors that look correct to the birds," says Brian Tande, Ph.D., Co-Founder of Twilight Labs. All animals have unique sensory systems adapted for their environments. For instance, while humans see in three primary colors (corresponding to three types of "cone" photoreceptors in our retinas), deer only see in two primary colors, and consequently, have difficulty distinguishing blaze orange from common woodland and prairie colors. Hunters have been using this sensory advantage to improve deer hunting safety for decades. It is well established that birds see in four primary colors compared to a human’s three primary colors. This fourth primary color corresponds to a fourth "cone" photoreceptor in their retinas that is sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) light. This fourth cone enables birds to distinguish color differences, invisible to humans, which correspond to the level of UV light reflecting off an object. By conquering the visual sensory advantage that birds have over humans, UVision™ gives hunters the confidence that their decoys finally look correct to the birds. The scientists at Twilight Labs have determined that many feathers of game birds are highly UV reflective and that ALL feathers have a distinct UV reflection based on the natural pigmentation of each feather. Since current decoy paints are loaded with UV absorbers, standard decoy colors look extremely unnatural to the very birds hunters are trying to fool--even though they may look accurate to the human eye! Mature migrators and late season birds learn to flare from decoys with these unnatural colors. This learned threat-response explains the real cause of unsuccessful hunts on "bluebird days" previously attributed to glare- because these unnatural colors are most obvious to approaching birds on sunny days. UVision™ paints exactly match the invisible UV reflection of real birds' feathers'--in addition to the human-visible colors--so approaching birds cannot distinguish between the colors on real birds and the colors on Flambeau Decoys with UVision™ technology. "We’re disrupting the industry with the startling fact that all waterfowl decoys have been incorrectly colored until now," says Todd Pringle, President of Twilight Labs. "The amount of UV light reflecting off objects contributes to the natural colors that birds see. Many hunting products companies misinterpreted this fact to mean that UV light was a "bad" thing that must be avoided on waterfowl decoys and other gear. In fact, the UV level must be MATCHED just like any color that humans can see. Twilight Labs was the first to determine the unique UV reflection for each color on game birds and to develop the coating formulations to match those UV colors. We wanted the right partner to bring our technology to hunters, and Flambeau is the perfect choice. We’ve already seen knock-off attempts of our technology and Flambeau, as one of the largest outdoor products companies in the world, is committed to vigorously defending our pending patents." "Our commitment has always been to Realism that Gets Results™, and we intend to keep on the cutting edge of decoy realism," says DeWayne Knight, National Sales and Marketing Manager of Flambeau Outdoors. "It is a known scientific fact that birds possess a fourth cone which allows them to see into the UV spectrum, and with UVision™ paint, we will be marketing the most color-realistic decoys ever offered to hunters. For the first time in history, approaching birds will not be able to tell the difference between real birds and Flambeau Decoys with UVision™. This new technology yields a distinct advantage to the waterfowl hunter which is what Realism that Gets Results is all about." UVision™ has been in use by hard core waterfowlers for two years as an aftermarket paint available online and test results in the field have been phenomenal. Flambeau has also secured the rights to retail paint sales of UVision™ and will be introducing a line of decoy paint including repaint kits, touch-up kits, and bulk paint to allow hunters to update their old decoys with this new technology. For more information on Flambeau Outdoors products, please view the information we have on our websites www.flambeauoutdoors.com or www.decoys.com , call: 800-457-5252, or e-mail: outdoors@flambeauoutdoors.com Flambeau Outdoors, a division of Flambeau, Inc., is the most widely recognized manufacturer of quality, innovative outdoor products for the hunting and fishing enthusiast.